A public shoutout and congratulations to my college friend peter lu who has been in the headlines with his Science-published paper about advanced quasicrystalline geometry in ancient Islamic art!
check out:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6389157.stm
http://www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/2007/03.01/99-tiles.html
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Monday, February 12, 2007
To Do
A random list of weird and/or difficult tasks on my plate (some successful thankfully):
- Talking with Schering Finland to import 200 units of implant contraceptive into Zambia via NGO and Zambia bureaucracy
- Making numerous, frustrating trips to the "poison board" (i.e. Zambia's Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority) to wrestle an approval for import from them
- Meeting with NGO directors to push through a legal contract between Harvard and the partner NGO because the study ran out of money and needed a new contract
- Purchasing hundreds of chitenges, 1,440 condoms, and prepaid talk time
- Negotiating salary arguments/discussions with the data collectors and community health workers working for the study
- Trying to minimize the community's fears that our data collecting teams are "Satanists"
- Buying pregnancy tests, gloves, bleach, and sterile solution for the surgical insertion of Jadelle implant contraceptive
- Constant monitoring of staff. There's no such thing as being too anal in the field. Some version of Murphy's law is at work here -- if you don't check on the work, it won't be done... or at least it won't be done well.
- Working 7 days a week to reach as many women as possible
- Talking with Schering Finland to import 200 units of implant contraceptive into Zambia via NGO and Zambia bureaucracy
- Making numerous, frustrating trips to the "poison board" (i.e. Zambia's Pharmaceutical Regulatory Authority) to wrestle an approval for import from them
- Meeting with NGO directors to push through a legal contract between Harvard and the partner NGO because the study ran out of money and needed a new contract
- Purchasing hundreds of chitenges, 1,440 condoms, and prepaid talk time
- Negotiating salary arguments/discussions with the data collectors and community health workers working for the study
- Trying to minimize the community's fears that our data collecting teams are "Satanists"
- Buying pregnancy tests, gloves, bleach, and sterile solution for the surgical insertion of Jadelle implant contraceptive
- Constant monitoring of staff. There's no such thing as being too anal in the field. Some version of Murphy's law is at work here -- if you don't check on the work, it won't be done... or at least it won't be done well.
- Working 7 days a week to reach as many women as possible
Monday, February 05, 2007
China's growing sphere of influence in the Caribbean and African nations
This is hilarious-- forwarded by a friend of mine.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070205/lead/lead1.html
This article brings to mind the recent events here in Lusaka. Chinese president Hu Jintao visited Lusaka this past Saturday through Sunday to officially inaugurate special Zambia-China economic zones... and a new Chinese-financed football stadium. Zambia didn't make the same mistake with the anthem though, I don't think.
On the day the Chinese president arrived at lusaka international airport, I was sitting outside the NGO office waiting for my ride. a zambian man passing by in a truck stuck his head out of the window and yelled "hey, how come you're not welcoming your president?!" I gave the man a slightly dirty look. The supervisors also kept on teasing "hey Christina, why aren't you at the airport welcoming your president?"
Later that day there was heavy traffic to the health clinic as scores of Zambians waited outside the main conference facility awaiting Hu Jintao's arrival. It was a pretty funny sight -- a crowd of Zambian women wearing MMD chitenges (MMD is the political party currently in power that is supportive of China) waiting and cheering for the chinese president.
Also, last Thursday, I was barely able to grab a table at the best Chinese restaurant in Lusaka because there was a huge party of Chinese people having dinner that night... in preparation for the Chinese president's arrival. Supposedly Hu Jintao was going to eat at that restaurant. (And stay at the Intercontinental...)
Anyways, overall, I regard China's generosity to Zambia with suspicion.... the stadium, a new economic zone, $800 million in investment, a state visit, a huge forgiveness of debt.......
To me, it sounds like imminent exploitation, China-style.
http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20070205/lead/lead1.html
This article brings to mind the recent events here in Lusaka. Chinese president Hu Jintao visited Lusaka this past Saturday through Sunday to officially inaugurate special Zambia-China economic zones... and a new Chinese-financed football stadium. Zambia didn't make the same mistake with the anthem though, I don't think.
On the day the Chinese president arrived at lusaka international airport, I was sitting outside the NGO office waiting for my ride. a zambian man passing by in a truck stuck his head out of the window and yelled "hey, how come you're not welcoming your president?!" I gave the man a slightly dirty look. The supervisors also kept on teasing "hey Christina, why aren't you at the airport welcoming your president?"
Later that day there was heavy traffic to the health clinic as scores of Zambians waited outside the main conference facility awaiting Hu Jintao's arrival. It was a pretty funny sight -- a crowd of Zambian women wearing MMD chitenges (MMD is the political party currently in power that is supportive of China) waiting and cheering for the chinese president.
Also, last Thursday, I was barely able to grab a table at the best Chinese restaurant in Lusaka because there was a huge party of Chinese people having dinner that night... in preparation for the Chinese president's arrival. Supposedly Hu Jintao was going to eat at that restaurant. (And stay at the Intercontinental...)
Anyways, overall, I regard China's generosity to Zambia with suspicion.... the stadium, a new economic zone, $800 million in investment, a state visit, a huge forgiveness of debt.......
To me, it sounds like imminent exploitation, China-style.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
regarding Africa, the West needs to learn how to compete with China...
This editorial was published a little while ago (Oct. 24, 2006). I share her views. China's entrance into the world of development aid will dramatically change the industry forever. (And yes, development aid is an industry with its own vested, commercial interests. Don't let any sparkly NGO representative tell you otherwise....even the Christian/religious ones. )
Viewpoint: China becomes Africa's suitor
| By Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Former Nigerian finance minister |
The West is in a panic. There is a new suitor on the block vying for Africa's attention.
China, with nearly $1 trillion in reserves and a voracious appetite for natural resources, has decided to spend some of its billions of dollars in savings to secure access to the oil, gas, copper, coal and other mineral riches that lie beneath the soil of many African countries.
China's aggressive - sometimes brazen - approach is causing angst among Africa's traditional partners.
I have heard China called the new colonial master.
'New power'
There is general unease about the potential moral hazard of an Africa whose debt has been cancelled by the West taking the opportunity to accumulate new debt from China.
There is no doubt that China is a new power to be reckoned with in Africa.
| | China knows what it means to be poor and has evolved a successful wealth creation formula that it is willing to share with African countries. |
There is also no doubt that this new economic giant is pragmatic - almost to a fault - when it comes to making deals in Africa. The nature of a country or its leadership carries little weight against China's need for natural resources.
Not for China the niceties of human rights, nor long debates on macroeconomic conditionalities, and structural reform.
China is ready to transform savings into investment projects in Africa in exchange for access to mining rights.
'Economic growth'
It is true that African countries need to be wary that old trappings of bondage are not exchanged for shiny new ones - whatever form they may assume.
Nevertheless, there is more to this China-Africa relationship than meets the eye.
African countries are clear that when it comes to economic growth and transformation, China has much to offer that is relevant to present-day Africa.
China knows what it means to be poor, and has evolved a successful wealth creation formula that it is willing to share with African countries.
Africa's need for infrastructure investments - estimated at $20bn a year for the next decade - is understood and supported by China.
'Fresh approach'
When I asked the Chinese how we could get a growth rate of 10%, like theirs, their answer was simple.
Infrastructure - infrastructure and discipline.
China is thus willing to invest in railways, roads, ports and rural telephony in various African countries as part of its winning formula for economic development.
This is an area considered too risky by many of Africa's traditional partners.
China provides an alternative viewpoint, a fresh approach that diversifies and enriches the spectrum of Africa's interlocutors.
For that reason, China should be left alone to forge its unique partnership with African countries and the West must simply learn to compete.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
another blog about zambia
Here's a link to the blog of an American expat friend in Zambia. I commiserate with her experiences of medical care and trying to apply for a temporary permit.
http://yourmominzambia.blogspot.com/
http://yourmominzambia.blogspot.com/
Thursday, December 14, 2006
male circumcision and HIV
The NYT published an article today about how male circumcision reduces the risk of female-to-male HIV transmission by 40-60%.
This is pretty interesting. What's even more interesting is that I discovered a couple months ago that the social marketing NGO I'm partnering with (Society for Family Health, part of Population Services International) had been piloting male circumcision in Lusaka for several months already.
This is pretty interesting. What's even more interesting is that I discovered a couple months ago that the social marketing NGO I'm partnering with (Society for Family Health, part of Population Services International) had been piloting male circumcision in Lusaka for several months already.
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